I find the summer holidays are usually a very good time to review business processes, marketing materials and my website. Over the last few years, every summer I’ve made changes of some sort and this summer its time for a new website. With uncertainty about the economy still in the news, you need to make sure your site works harder than ever, so here are a few things that you should be looking at now to ensure your site performs at its best over the coming months.
1. Look at your website copy, does it inspire, is it clearly written and to the point? Are there strong calls to action?
2. Do you have up to date testimonials and case studies from clients – this is particularly important for service businesses as these can really help with sales, but of course, whatever you sell, you need testimonials!
3. Can visitors easily navigate your site and find what they’re looking for?
4. Are the promises you make on your website true? Don’t say you’ll dispatch items within 24 hours if it takes longer, equally if you can deliver quicker then do so as people expect quick delivery when buying online.
5. Make sure you respond to enquiries and sales questions quickly, slow responses could mean you send prospects to your competitors.
6. Check all the pages of your website work, and you have a 404 page on the site to cover any broken links or pages that have been taken down (we’ve covered this in a previous post and it’s particularly important if you’re planning on re-launching an existing website).
7. Send out an email newsletter regularly to ensure customers and prospects don’t forget about you and remind them of the services you offer and any new services you introduce.
8. Start a blog – search engines love blogs so if you can post regularly, you may soon find them appearing in search results. Make your posts interesting and engaging and you may find you begin to start up conversations with customers and prospects, you never know what it could lead to. Find other blogs to post comments on too.
I’ve worked on many websites over the years and despite increasing traffic and offering advice on ways to increase conversions, some customers don’t seem to see this as important. Search engine optimisation or pay per click alone does not equate to an increase in sales particularly if a website is poorly written. If you’re wondering why your website traffic isn’t producing sales and enquiries, then now is a very good time to look at many of the above points.
